Connecticut Cities Have Reached Crisis Point, Says New Report

A shortage of affordable housing and an increase in low-wage jobs are to blame for a crisis in Connecticut cities. That’s according to a report from Quinnipiac University and the Urban League of Southern Connecticut.

The report says low-income residents and communities of color are most affected.

Quinnipiac visiting professor Robert Brown, who led the study, said lots of people don’t have access to a liveable wage and are being priced out by younger, more affluent residents who can afford to pay higher rents.

“We’ve gotta focus on employment opportunities that pay liveable wages. The minimum wage in Connecticut is $10.10. But we find that the cost for housing, food, transportation, health care, child care can be prohibitively expensive, particularly for people on the margin.”

Brown says state policies should also pay more attention to disparities in access to quality schools and adequate health services in cities.

“There’s an opportunity gap of access to the resources, which go directly back to some of the structural barriers that have been in place for decades.”